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There is still hope for the Senators even if it is in the faint category.

Two devastating defeats on the weekend have left the Senators clinging to their playoff lives with only 15 games left on the schedule and the New York Rangers in town Tuesday night.

Trailing the Rangers by seven points for the final wildcard playoff spot, the Senators have lost control of their own destiny but they swore after losses to Montreal and Colorado they aren't done.

The Senators had Monday off to lick their wounds. They must go on one massive winning streak to book a ticket to the dance. The first task at hand is to beat the Rangers.

"You've gotta believe," said winger Chris Neil following the club's 3-1 loss to the Avalanche at home. "We've said that right from Day One.

"We've got to stick with it. As long as you've still got a chance to get in. Not winning the last two makes it a lot tougher. We hold out hope here. We've just got to get ready for the next one."

Blowing the three-goal lead (with help from the officials) in Montreal in a 5-4 OT loss Saturday and the defeat against the Avs were typical of what this team has been doing all season.

Just when you think the Senators have turned the corner and are headed in the right direction, they veer off course and end up in the mud. The issue now: They are running out of racetrack.

"Definitely. Every game you don't win is a step in the wrong direction," admitted Neil, one of the longest-serving Senators. "For us, we want to go forward.

"If we get two or three wins in a row it gets us rolling again. It happened earlier on in the season and it got us out of our funk We need that. We need it starting with the next game."

Since Nov. 11, the Senators have only spent one day in a playoff spot. The club's longest winning streak of the season is four games. They've won only two or more six times in 68 games.

Sure, the Senators can talk about stringing wins together, but there's no evidence to suggest they can actually do that. They are suffering from the same inconsistency they've had since Oct. 4.

What could make the Senators possibly think they could stop making mistakes, flick a switch and make the playoffs?

"When you are losing games you are usually making the same mistakes and when you are winning games you are usually doing things right," said captain Jason Spezza.

"I don't think there's a switch we can flick to make the playoffs but we have 15 games and we can win a majority of them and get in. It's not a switch we can flick or one or two mistakes. It's just an overall mentality."

Spezza noted the Senators "are finding ways to lose games" rather than winning solutions. Coach Paul MacLean suddenly sounds like a man resigned to the fact his club won't make the playoffs.

Neil maintained the Senators can get up off the mat.

"I look around the room and I see a resilient group of guys," said Neil. "It doesn't matter what other people think of us or whatever.

"(Saturday) night was an emotional game and coming in here (Sunday) we rebounded. We didn't get the win but I thought we played a decent game. We had our chances to win the game.

"We came up short. We've got to show, like in the past, those 'Pesky Sens'. We've got to be able to come out and get those dirty 1-0 and 2-0 games. We've got to be able to win like that."

Time is of the essence. The season is ticking away. After getting to the second round last spring, missing the playoffs didn't look like a remote possibility this year. The club has taken a step back.

"We have to try to win our next game," said alternate captain Chris Phillips.

At this point, the Senators are trying to make baby steps but the reality is they need a giant leap in the standings.